Choppergate: Nine Queensland in on air apology to viewers over faked helicopter crosses
Nine News has broadcast an on air apology to its Queensland viewers over its faked news chopper live crosses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPmZBESN_RE
Weeknight presenter Melissa Downes, who was not on air during the weekend when the incidents took place, read the apology during last night’s bulletin.
The first faked live cross came to light when footage emerged of the Nine News chopper on its helipad on Sunday night at the same time viewers were given the impression it was hovering near the search for Daniel Morcombe’s body and the caption said “near Beerwah”.
http://youtu.be/JXr33-wgUAc
After Nine said the chopper had been forced to return due to bad weather, and there had been no time to warn the producer, traffic control data emerged showing that a similar thing had taken place on the previous day too.
http://youtu.be/j51G7SZgxaw
Nine News Queensland’s news director Lee Anderson has promised a “thorough investigation” of what led to the deception.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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Would be very unfair if reporters get the blame for something the producer on duty told them to do. Let’s hope the “investigation” does not have a predetermined outcome to protect a network boss’s golden haired boy!
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